6/28/2024 update: We'll be announcing a July launch date very soon!
A new pilot water shuttle service is coming in Summer 2024! A partnership of public and private organizations and agencies, led by the City of Alameda, is working hard to launch this service as soon as we can, which is now estimated to be not before July. We have a boat we've named Woodstock, we've modified it for our service, ADA ramps have been purchased for each of the docks, and many of the remaining logistics are in place, but we still have to get final approval from the U.S. Coast Guard to operate the service. Sign-up here to be notified of our launch date and receive updates.
The service will:
- Be free!
- Be ADA-accessible
- Accommodate bicycles easily
- Run between Alameda Landing (behind Target, at the Bohol Circle Immigrant Park dock) and Oakland's Jack London Square (at the foot of Broadway)
- To start, operate 5 days per week, Wednesdays through Sundays, for about 12 hours per day. Service levels may change later depending on funding and season.
- Be a two-year pilot, with the opportunity to grow over time
Map of Water Shuttle service:
This new water shuttle service is being developed and supported by a growing team of agencies and organizations. As of 2024, financial and in-kind support for this free service is coming from:
Keep in touch to hear about the service launch and updates!
Join the Water Shuttle mailing list
We're working hard to start the two-year pilot in Summer 2024! The service will:
- Be free!
- Be ADA-accessible
- Accommodate bicycles easily
- Run between Alameda Landing (behind Target, at the Bohol Circle Immigrant Park dock) and Oakland's Jack London Square (at the foot of Broadway)
- To start, operate 5 days per week, Wednesdays through Sundays, for about 12 hours per day. Service levels may change later depending on funding and season.
- Be a two-year pilot, with the opportunity to grow over time
We'll announce the launch date as soon as we set it!
- "I'm on a boat": Part II, Morning Bun blog, 2/13/24
- Weekend Roundup: ..and Woodstock arrives, StreetsblogSF, 02/09/24
- Woodstock has landed!, City of Alameda Facebook post and Instagram post, 02/08/24
- "I'm on a boat", Morning Bun blog, 2/08/24
- New water taxi service will connect Alameda Landing to Jack London Square, Oakland North, 12/18/23
- A free water shuttle connecting two East Bay cities is launching next year, San Francisco Chronicle, 12/02/23
- Meet Woodstock, Alameda's Water Shuttle to Jack London Square, StreetsblogSF, 11/15/23
- City of Alameda unveils new free water taxi, KTVU, 11/12/23
- Vessel arrives, City of Alameda Facebook page, 11/10/23
We conducted a survey in Spring 2023 and collected over 2,300 responses. The results, summarized here(PDF, 139KB), helped inform our initial launch service schedule. We'll be conducting additional surveys, once the service starts, to collect feedback and hear more about what service you'd like.
The need for an easy way to connect Oakland and Alameda across the Oakland Estuary has existed for many years. In the early 2000s, the Alameda Oakland Bike Ferry service operated for several years (see newsletter insert below).
In 2009, the City developed a comprehensive Estuary Crossing Final Feasibility Study Report(PDF, 6MB) to analyze and evaluate all of the potential strategies for crossing the Estuary either by foot, bike or transit. Seventeen (17) different crossing options were studied, including a gondola, different bridge types, Posey/Webster Tubes enhancements, water shuttle services and a new transit tube. Solutions for the near-, mid-, and long-term were explored. The top recommended, mid-term option was determined to be a water shuttle service.
Since then, the City has been working to create a partnership to fund and operate a free public water shuttle service for Alameda and Oakland, and finally, in 2022, the pieces for this shuttle service came together, with a high level of private sector interest and financial commitments of up to 75% of operations funding. A grant was secured in 2023 from the Alameda County Transportation Commission, to cover the remaining 25% of the costs. WETA also agreed to administer and operate the pilot service. The new service will launch in Summer 2024.
The Island Hopper will be a free shuttle connection to Alameda Point, operating weekends only in the summer of 2024. More info coming soon!